This salad combines several flavors and texture to give your tongue a little dance! I initially made this as a green salad for lunch, but when I realized the toppings were the best, I eliminated the lettuce. Make it ahead and refrigerate overnight for more intense flavor.
1 head broccoli
4 carrots
2 tomatoes
1/4 c. dried cranberries
2 T. hemp seeds
2 T. sliced or crushed almonds
2 to 4 T. raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing
Cut florets from broccoli. Slice each floret at least in half, and if large, in quarters. Peel carrots and slice very thinly (I used a mandolin). Dice tomatoes.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl. If making ahead, use a bowl with a tight-fitting lid. Toss or shake until dressing completely covers all vegetables.
Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Variation: Add 1/2 block extra firm tofu, diced.
Showing posts with label Broccoli. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Broccoli. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 20
Thursday, January 27
Creamy Broccoli Carrot Soup
This is so easy and so filling, but so healthy! I guess that's the theme of all my soups, if you really think about it. It doesn't have a ton of calories (only about 180 per cup), so you can easily have seconds - even if you're watching your weight. The boys and I scarfed it right down.
4 c. vegetable broth
1/2 c. dry barley
2 medium stalks broccoli
2 large carrots, peeled if desired*
13.6 oz. can Lite Coconut Milk (I used the Thai Kitchen brand)
1 c. vegan cheese (optional)
4 T. nutritional yeast
Granulated garlic to taste
Real Salt to taste
Bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Add barley, return to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.
Shred carrots using the large holes of a cheese grater (a food processor makes quick work of this, but it's easy enough to do by hand). Cut florets off broccoli and chop stalk into pieces equal to the size of the florets, stopping when the stalk gets tough. Soak in a bowl of cold water and apple cider vinegar for about 10 minutes. Drain, then process in a food processor until small pieces but not completely pulverized.
After the barley has been cooking for 15 minutes, add coconut milk, broccoli and carrots. Stir to combine. Return to a simmer and cook 15 more minutes or until vegetables and barley are tender. Season with salt and granulated garlic as desired.
You can add the cheese and nutritional yeast at this point and serve, or you can make it creamier. I vote creamier. If you have an immersion (hand) blender, stick it in the pot and blend away until it reaches the desired consistency. If you don't, you can process in batches in your blender - just remember it's hot and the lid can blow off if you try to process too much at once. Make it as creamy or chunky as you like. If you are blending, add the cheese and nutritional yeast at the end. The cheese can be hard to get off the blender blades.
Makes 6, 1-cup servings (but you're going to want more than one cup, I promise!)
*Note: It is not necessary to peel most root vegetables - just give them a good scrubbing. Keeping the skin on retains more fiber and most of the time you won't notice a difference. :)
4 c. vegetable broth
1/2 c. dry barley
2 medium stalks broccoli
2 large carrots, peeled if desired*
13.6 oz. can Lite Coconut Milk (I used the Thai Kitchen brand)
1 c. vegan cheese (optional)
4 T. nutritional yeast
Granulated garlic to taste
Real Salt to taste
Bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Add barley, return to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.
Shred carrots using the large holes of a cheese grater (a food processor makes quick work of this, but it's easy enough to do by hand). Cut florets off broccoli and chop stalk into pieces equal to the size of the florets, stopping when the stalk gets tough. Soak in a bowl of cold water and apple cider vinegar for about 10 minutes. Drain, then process in a food processor until small pieces but not completely pulverized.
After the barley has been cooking for 15 minutes, add coconut milk, broccoli and carrots. Stir to combine. Return to a simmer and cook 15 more minutes or until vegetables and barley are tender. Season with salt and granulated garlic as desired.
You can add the cheese and nutritional yeast at this point and serve, or you can make it creamier. I vote creamier. If you have an immersion (hand) blender, stick it in the pot and blend away until it reaches the desired consistency. If you don't, you can process in batches in your blender - just remember it's hot and the lid can blow off if you try to process too much at once. Make it as creamy or chunky as you like. If you are blending, add the cheese and nutritional yeast at the end. The cheese can be hard to get off the blender blades.
Makes 6, 1-cup servings (but you're going to want more than one cup, I promise!)
*Note: It is not necessary to peel most root vegetables - just give them a good scrubbing. Keeping the skin on retains more fiber and most of the time you won't notice a difference. :)
Saturday, January 15
Bok Choy, Broccoli and Mushroom Saute
I was at the local produce market this morning and came across some Bok Choy. I have never used bok choy before, but I was curious and it was cheap so I decided to try it. Holy Yum! Experiment successful.
2 T. olive oil*
2 T. Earth Balance*
2 c. shredded raw bok choy
2 c. chopped raw broccoli
2 scallions, thinly sliced
4 mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (or use granulated garlic to taste)
Real Salt to taste
Water
*Using this much olive oil and Earth Balance adds a significant amount of fat. If you are counting fat and calories, you could easily use half this amount and it would still be delicious.
In a very large skillet, heat olive oil and Earth Balance over medium heat. Add broccoli and cook until just fork tender, about 3 to 4 minutes (longer for larger pieces). Add remaining vegetables and continue cooking until tender. It may be necessary to add hot water, a few tablespoons at a time, to prevent sticking. Season with granulated garlic and real salt, if using. Serve over cooked brown rice or cooked barley, if desired.
Makes about 4 servings.
2 T. olive oil*
2 T. Earth Balance*
2 c. shredded raw bok choy
2 c. chopped raw broccoli
2 scallions, thinly sliced
4 mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (or use granulated garlic to taste)
Real Salt to taste
Water
*Using this much olive oil and Earth Balance adds a significant amount of fat. If you are counting fat and calories, you could easily use half this amount and it would still be delicious.
In a very large skillet, heat olive oil and Earth Balance over medium heat. Add broccoli and cook until just fork tender, about 3 to 4 minutes (longer for larger pieces). Add remaining vegetables and continue cooking until tender. It may be necessary to add hot water, a few tablespoons at a time, to prevent sticking. Season with granulated garlic and real salt, if using. Serve over cooked brown rice or cooked barley, if desired.
Makes about 4 servings.
Thursday, December 30
Broccoli Sauce
I saw a similar recipe (albeit unhealthier) that called this Broccoli Pesto, but that didn't make much sense to me. We don't use basil or pinenuts, so it seemed silly to call it pesto. Either way, it's super yummy. I serve it over whole wheat spaghetti noodles and thinly sliced half-moon zucchini. Yum!
2 c. steamed broccoli
1/2 c. vegetable broth
2 t. white or yellow miso
1/2 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
2 t. olive oil
2 t. sesame seeds
2 T. hemp seeds
1 clove garlic, smashed
Real Salt to taste
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. If you want a creamier sauce, use a blender, and if you want a chunkier sauce, use a food processor. Process on medium speed, pausing to scrape sides as needed. When sauce has reached desired consistency, serve immediately. Or, if desired, you may heat the sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat until heated through.
Serve over whole wheat pasta, brown rice or vegetables.
Makes about 4 servings.
2 c. steamed broccoli
1/2 c. vegetable broth
2 t. white or yellow miso
1/2 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
2 t. olive oil
2 t. sesame seeds
2 T. hemp seeds
1 clove garlic, smashed
Real Salt to taste
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. If you want a creamier sauce, use a blender, and if you want a chunkier sauce, use a food processor. Process on medium speed, pausing to scrape sides as needed. When sauce has reached desired consistency, serve immediately. Or, if desired, you may heat the sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat until heated through.
Serve over whole wheat pasta, brown rice or vegetables.
Makes about 4 servings.
Wednesday, October 13
Creamy Broccoli Soup
This soup is so thick and creamy you'd never know it didn't contain dairy. If you prefer bigger chunks of broccoli in your soup, simply leave some of the tiny florets whole. Disclaimer: it took a bit to get this to taste "just right," so there are quite a few ingredients listed. Feel free to adapt it according to your individual taste.
2 large stalks broccoli
4 c. vegetable broth
1 1/2 c. cooked white beans
1/4 c. nutritional yeast
1 T. white miso
1 T. dried onion flakes
Soy Milk, as needed
1/4 c. hemp seeds
1 to 2 T. garlic powder
2 to 3 drops liquid smoke
1 T. Tamari, soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 large pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 ripe avocado
Real Salt, to taste
Cornstarch, if needed for thickening
Cut broccoli florets from stalk. Soak in a bowl of cold water mixed with about ¼ cup apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (or other edible acid) for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the tough skin from the stalk of the broccoli. Cut into smaller pieces, no bigger than ½ inch. Place all broccoli in a food processor and run on low speed for a few seconds or until broccoli resembles very coarse cornmeal. If desired, leave out a handful of the smaller florets to give the soup a chunkier feel.
Put broccoli and vegetable broth in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, stirring frequently. Cook for about 10 minutes.
While broccoli is cooking, place beans, nutritional yeast, miso and onion flakes in a blender. Add a small amount of soy milk, less than ¼ cup, and begin to blend on low speed, adding more soy milk as necessary so it blends easily. Toward the end of the blending cycle add hemp seeds. Continue blending until smooth and creamy. Pour directly into broccoli mixture and stir to combine. Note: there is no need to clean out the blender at this point.
Add garlic powder, liquid smoke, Tamari or soy sauce and nutmeg to pot. Continue to simmer. Meanwhile, put avocado and 1 cup of soup mixture into the blender. Blend on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Use caution when opening blender lid as inner contents will be hot. Pour contents back into pot, stirring to combine. Test for taste, adding salt or additional seasonings as necessary.
Cook for about 10 minutes to cook down a little. If soup is too thin, mix a couple of tablespoons cornstarch with an equal amount of cold water, stir to dissolve, and pour slowly into soup. Cook a few more minutes to thicken.
Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator, heating before serving.
Random Factoid: You know how when you're cooking along and testing and tasting and your dish is just missing something? That Missing Something is what the Japanese call Umami. Umami are specific ingredients that are known as the Fifth Taste. Salt, soy sauce, and avocado are all examples of Umami. For more information about Umami, check out the Umami website at http://www.umamiinfo.com/. Bottom line: if your dish just needs "something," try adding a Umami - you'll probably be amazed at the results.
2 large stalks broccoli
4 c. vegetable broth
1 1/2 c. cooked white beans
1/4 c. nutritional yeast
1 T. white miso
1 T. dried onion flakes
Soy Milk, as needed
1/4 c. hemp seeds
1 to 2 T. garlic powder
2 to 3 drops liquid smoke
1 T. Tamari, soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 large pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 ripe avocado
Real Salt, to taste
Cornstarch, if needed for thickening
Cut broccoli florets from stalk. Soak in a bowl of cold water mixed with about ¼ cup apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (or other edible acid) for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the tough skin from the stalk of the broccoli. Cut into smaller pieces, no bigger than ½ inch. Place all broccoli in a food processor and run on low speed for a few seconds or until broccoli resembles very coarse cornmeal. If desired, leave out a handful of the smaller florets to give the soup a chunkier feel.
Put broccoli and vegetable broth in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, stirring frequently. Cook for about 10 minutes.
While broccoli is cooking, place beans, nutritional yeast, miso and onion flakes in a blender. Add a small amount of soy milk, less than ¼ cup, and begin to blend on low speed, adding more soy milk as necessary so it blends easily. Toward the end of the blending cycle add hemp seeds. Continue blending until smooth and creamy. Pour directly into broccoli mixture and stir to combine. Note: there is no need to clean out the blender at this point.
Add garlic powder, liquid smoke, Tamari or soy sauce and nutmeg to pot. Continue to simmer. Meanwhile, put avocado and 1 cup of soup mixture into the blender. Blend on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Use caution when opening blender lid as inner contents will be hot. Pour contents back into pot, stirring to combine. Test for taste, adding salt or additional seasonings as necessary.
Cook for about 10 minutes to cook down a little. If soup is too thin, mix a couple of tablespoons cornstarch with an equal amount of cold water, stir to dissolve, and pour slowly into soup. Cook a few more minutes to thicken.
Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator, heating before serving.
Random Factoid: You know how when you're cooking along and testing and tasting and your dish is just missing something? That Missing Something is what the Japanese call Umami. Umami are specific ingredients that are known as the Fifth Taste. Salt, soy sauce, and avocado are all examples of Umami. For more information about Umami, check out the Umami website at http://www.umamiinfo.com/. Bottom line: if your dish just needs "something," try adding a Umami - you'll probably be amazed at the results.
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